BeaversEdge Staff Predictions: Oregon vs Oregon State

With the 21st-ranked Beavers (8-3 5-3 Pac-12) set to host ninth-ranked Oregon (9-2, 7-1) on Saturday, BeaversEdge Publisher Brenden Slaughter, recruiting analyst Dylan Callaghan-Croley, and writer T.J. Mathewson give their two cents on the matchup and who's going to come out on top!

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BRENDEN SLAUGHTER'S PICK

PREDICTION: Oregon State 31, Oregon 28

The state will belong to the Beavers once more...

This has the makings of being the most competitive and high-stakes matchup between these two schools in at least a decade and I for one could not be more excited to be at Reser Stadium on Saturday!

With all that being said, let's get right into the prediction...

With UO QB Bo Nix not being at 100%, I see this matchup as a big-time opportunity for Oregon State to secure a marquee win against a nationally-ranked opponent.

Defensively, the Beavers will most certainly have their work cut out for them, but OSU's defense has been dynamite at home this season, allowing just 12.6 points per game

Oregon's offense is amongst the most explosive in the country and it'll be a terrific matchup against Oregon State's defense which is among the leaders in the conference in multiple categories.

The Ducks' offense certainly packs less of a punch if Nix isn't able to use his legs in the ground game. He's got 14 rushing touchdowns this season and if he's less than mobile as we saw last week against Utah, that's a huge advantage to OSU's defense.

On offense, Ben Gulbranson is going to have to build off of his most impressive showing under center last week against Arizona State. He's certainly come a long way compared to when he first came into the mix in place of Chance Nolan and he'll need to top his ASU performance against the Ducks for the Beavers to have a shot at coming away victorious.

OSU's ground attack will without a doubt be the offense's focal point, anchored by Damien Martinez, but for the Beavers to be at their best offensively, we'll need to see the aggressive and confident Gulbranson we saw against ASU. If he's able to connect with the receivers and tight ends in the passing game to complement the ground game, the Beavers will be tough to slow down offensively.

The Beavers are 10-1 in Reser Stadium over the last two seasons and it took a herculean effort from USC earlier this season for that lone loss. OSU went toe-to-toe with the Trojans and if you take away some of the turnovers in that matchup, it very well could have gone in the Beavers' favor.

Long story short, this Oregon team isn't as good as the Trojans and if the Beavers play as they did defensively against the Trojans with more offensive efficiency, they'll be in a prime position to defeat the Ducks...

It's going to be a dandy of a contest, but at home with the Reser Stadium crowd behind them and the opportunity to knock the Ducks out of the Pac-12 Championship game, I see the Beavers taking this matchup by three and wrapping up the regular season with an impressive 9-3 mark...

Brenden's season record (9-2)

- Brenden Slaughter

DYLAN CALLAGHAN-CROLEY'S PICK

PREDICTION: Oregon State 35, Oregon 34

On paper, I think Oregon is the better team, but my gut says that Oregon State will pull off the upset...

In rivalry games, you throw out the records, the stats, everything. Jonathan Smith has had his team ready to go every week, I expect the same on Saturday. I believe the Beavers will come out on fire in this one and will look to get creative in how they play this game.

In the grand scheme of things, a loss in this scenario doesn't change the overall trajectory of the program, while a win has the potential to do wonders on and off the field moving forward. In that essence, there’s nothing to lose in my opinion.

The Beavers should come out and play loose and free in this one. For those reasons alone, I like the Beavers.

For the analysis portion, I echo the sentiment of my colleagues. This is a good Oregon team but also a beatable one, especially if Bo Nix isn’t fully healthy. If the Beavers can run the ball in this one consistently, I like their chances.

On top of that, it will be crucial to at the very least keep the trenches a stalemate, as the Ducks are as good as anyone in the PAC-12. The Beavers can’t afford to get dominated on either side, if they do it will spell trouble... However, that's where being creative comes into play, as well as ensuring you get the ball out quickly when looking to pass.

If they can do that and limit their turnovers and missed opportunities, which I believe they can do, the Beavers can win this game...

- Dylan Callaghan-Croley

Dylan's season record (10-1)

MORE: Bowl Projections | A Closer Look At Oregon | WATCH: Offense Previews Oregon | Injury Report vs Oregon

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T.J. MATHEWSON'S PICK

PREDICTION: Oregon State 26, Oregon 23

I am pumped for this game on Saturday. I mean, when was the last time this game was second to Ohio State-Michigan in terms of game importance? Regardless, it's a fascinating matchup of strength-vs-strength, the Ducks' offense vs the Beavers' defense.

Oregon State shut out Arizona State in the second half last week and held the Sun Devils to under 100 yards. Even with guys like Alex Austin and Jaydon Grant out, the Beavers were still able to smother the ASU offense on the road, a feat they haven't been able to accomplish for an extended period of time this season.

Even if the Beavers aren't going to be 100% healthy this season, I like their chances of stifling this Oregon offense.

Multiple things are going in the Beavers' favor: This is the best yards-per-play defense Oregon has played since week one vs Georgia (Beavers rank 33rd, Georgia 12th), and the Beavers will face a significantly hobbled Bo Nix. I said a couple of weeks ago that if Ben Gulbranson started this game against a healthy Bo Nix, the Beavers would not win this game.

Since then, Ben had his best game as a collegiate vs ASU, and Bo's best trait, his mobility, has been significantly hampered. Taking the option of 14 rushing touchdowns away from any player is HUGE.

On top of that, the most a Beaver defense has allowed this season at Reser is 17, and that was to the second-best YPP offense in CFB (USC). I think Gulbranson and this running game that averages in the top third of CFB at 4.8 YPC should be able to run on an Oregon defense that is the 109th-ranked squad in YPP, 58th in yards per carry, and 118th in sacks (15).

It's going to be an absolute nail-biter, and it could come down to which QB makes a big play at the end. Bo could be healthier, and Ben could have a bad game, but I'm picking the team that has lost once at Reser Stadium in the last two seasons.

T.J.'s season record (11-0)

- T.J. Mathewson

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